''SNK'', an acronym for ''Shin Nihon Kikaku'' 『新日本企画』 (Japanese for "New Japan Project"), is one of the better known video game companies. Besides developing arcade games dating back to 1978, SNK is also responsible for the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo home console, as well as the short-lived Hyper Neo Geo 64 and portable NeoGeoPocket. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986. It also possesses a unique story of collapse and rebirth: After things started to look bad in the beginning of 2000, SNK [[DarkestHour was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2001 and sold many of its rights to various companies]]. Eventually, with hard work and effort, its CEO, Eikichi Kawasaki, eventually [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether gathered up many of its former rights and employees]] and [[HesBack rebuilt SNK, now named SNK Playmore]]. Kawasaki was the company's largest shareholder until August 2015, when his shares (along with his wife's) were bought over by a Chinese video game company. In April 2016, SNK Playmore announced that they were changing their name back to SNK, and brought back their old motto as shown above. On December 1, 2016, they changed their legal name from "SNK Playmore Corporation" to "SNK Corporation" to complete the change and rang it in with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzBt6Raq4P8 a fresh new logo splash with a familiar jingle]].

SNK is mostly known for its {{fighting game}}s and was once the biggest rival of Creator/{{Capcom}} in that field; this rivalry was embodied in the ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' crossover series. Their fighting game bosses have a reputation for being ''extremely'' harder than their rival companies' counterparts, thus making them the {{Trope Namer|s}} for SNKBoss. To casual observers, SNK's 2D fighters were mere imitators of the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series, but this is not the case. The combat systems are totally different, with SNK's ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' series introducing the whole concept of the [[LimitBreak super special move]] that would go onto to become a fighting game staple. Also, although both employed luxuriously rich, detailed 2D visuals, SNK's backgrounds were more expressive, and often filled with comic touches. It's also worth pointing out that staff have switched between the Capcom and SNK camps over the years, with original ''Street Fighter'' creators Creator/TakashiNishiyama and Creator/HiroshiMatsumoto going onto to work at SNK, notably creating the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' series, while famed illustrator Shinkiro as well as lesser known Senri Kita [[note]]perhaps best known for her work on various ''[[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown SamSho]]'' titles (''64'', ''Warrior's Rage'', and ''Sen''), fans of ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' may recognize her art style in the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Tellius]] duology of ''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn''[[/note]] started at SNK but now work for Capcom. Creator/DaisukeIshiwatari, known best for his work on ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' and ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', was also employed under SNK as part of the team developing ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade''. If you look at his work (and sometimes squint), you can see more than a few [[ShoutOut nods]] to SNK's properties.

[[JustForPun/IThoughtThatWas Has nothing to do with]] ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' (which has the Japanese name of ''Shingeki no Kyojin''), despite sharing the same initials. Fans of the video game company have taken to using the company's new name (SNK Playmore) because of the potential confusion.----!!Consoles made:* UsefulNotes/NeoGeo (1990–2004)* Neo Geo CD (1994–1997)* NeoGeoPocket (1998–1999)* Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999–2001)

----!!Tropes present in many SNK games:* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore - Compare the American box art and flyers of some earlier releases to their Japanese counterparts. Check out [[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/athena/athena.htm the artwork]] for ''Athena'' and ''Psycho Soldier'', for example.* AudioAdaptation - SNK, mostly prior to their bankruptcy, seemed rather fond of these, to the point that they likely outnumber any other fighter-producing company in volume. Several of their more recognizable fighting series have a few drama [=CDs=] to their name, ''KOF'' in particular. Most serve to further characterize [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters SNK's rather extensive rosters]] and add depth to their particular 'verses, but some, such as [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Neo_Geo_DJ_Station Neo Geo DJ Station,]] opt for meta humor by employing [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth wall breaking]], MediumAwareness, and large doses of LampshadeHanging.* AuthorAppeal - {{SNK Boss}}es and {{Dream Match Game}}s. This company seems to ''love'' making them, ''especially'' the former.* {{Fanservice}} - From [[http://images.wikia.com/snk/images/d/d8/Mai94.gif full]] to [[http://images.wikia.com/snk/images/0/00/King95.gif none]] and everything in between. [[http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab136/0-yami/5Bsmall5D5BAnimePaper5Dscans_King-o.jpg Also]] [[http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-05/kof11-shen-woo.html a]] [[http://images.wikia.com/snk/images/5/5e/K-XIII.jpg pioneer]] of fighting game [[MrFanservice manservice]].** They've got the non-sexual fanservice covered just as well, if not even better.* BossRush - A lot of SNK's early UsefulNotes/NeoGeo non-fighting games, particularly the [[BeatEmUp beat 'em ups]], liked to make the player fight most (sometimes all) of the previous bosses and midbosses throughout the final level. Games that did this include ''Burning Fight'', ''Cyber-Lip'', ''Robo Army'', ''Mutation Nation'', ''VideoGame/KingOfTheMonsters II'', etc. Some were more creative about it than others.** ''Alpha Mission II'' had the player fight all of the mid-bosses instead, with the penultimate boss being an amalgam of the previous bosses.** In ''Top Hunter'', the bosses of the final section, sans the first one, are [[BossBonanza brand new]].* {{Foil}} - Usually to Creator/{{Capcom}}, but around 2015-2016, they became this to Creator/{{Konami}}. SNK was known for its shaky history, including its bankruptcy and rebirth as SNK Playmore, while Konami was a steadier company with a lot of A-games. However, around that year, Konami came under fire by fans and other developers alike due to controversial decisions and the move to the pachinko business, abandoning their A-grade video game industry. On the contrary, SNK Playmore instead abandoned their pachinko venture and made a full return to video game development to the point of returning to their old name (just SNK) and logo, and continued to improve ''The King of Fighters XIV'', [[TaintedByThePreview which suffered lackluster reception on its earlier graphics showcase]]; now, it's considered to be a major improvement compared to the initial build and could even prove a match for Capcom's fighting game juggernaut ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV''. SNK has been considered by some as "Anti-Konami" this way.* DownerEnding: A lot of SNK's late 80's arcade games ended on a rather dour note, a trait which carried over to the first year of UsefulNotes/NeoGeo games:** ''Prehistoric Isle in 1930'': The protagonists manage to escape from the titular island and land on a cargo plane, which is destroyed by pterodactyls shortly after.** ''SAR: Search And Rescue'': The protagonists find no survivors on the ship and are ordered by their superior to destroy all evidences of the events, estimating that the colonist [[GoMadFromTheRevelation cannot handle the truth]].** ''Beast Busters'': After destroying what seems to be the source of the zombie outbreak, the protagonists see a [[BolivianArmyEnding a gigantic alien ship in the skies...]]** ''NAM-1975'': The BigBad's plan is foiled, but the hero bitterly notes that while he managed to get out of Vietnam, "[[ShellShockedVeteran the hell continues]]".** ''The Super Spy'': After being defeated, the final boss ominously warns that even if he dies, many others will take his place. The player character then launches a monologue about the increase in power of terrorism, while the World Trade Center is visible in the background.** ''Cyber-Lip'': The heroes are revealed to have been the pawns of an hostile alien race, who engineered the events of the game to get rid of Earth's last line of defense.* GratuitousEnglish - Especially in the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' games.** [[{{Mondegreen}} Terry]] [[FountainOfMemes Bogard]]. We cannot stress this enough.** BlindIdiotTranslation - Very frequently in earlier releases, which often had a tendency of [[{{Narm}} ruining scenes]].* {{Mascot}}: Three, in fact. It's not Kyo Kusanagi despite being the main face of [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters their flagship series]], but it's between [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]], [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Athena Asamiya]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Nakoruru]]. All three are in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters XIV'' curiously.* NotableOriginalMusic - Overlaps with SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic to enough of an extent that [[AwesomeMusic/{{SNK}} it has its own page.]]* NintendoHard - These guys are probably outdone only by Creator/{{Nintendo}} themselves and Creator/{{Atlus}} (and if you're willing to stretch the lines, ''maybe'' Capcom).* RougeAnglesOfSatin - The game ''Mutation Nation'' has the BigBad saying "How dare you beat me! Hear [sic] is your graveyard."* RuleOfSymbolism - SNK's first notable fighting game, ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', introduces the city of Southtown. The bulk of the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' series take place in Southtown, detailing and developing it, [[ShownTheirWork pretty damn believably at that]]. The final game of the original SNK, ''The King of Fighters 2000'', ends with Southtown being [[NukeEm blown up]].** And in ''2003'', Southtown was shown to have recovered from the Zero Cannon's attack, symbolic of SNK's resurrection as SNK Playmore. The ''[[VideoGame3DLeap Maximum]] [[AlternateContinuity Impact]]'' SpinOff series also takes place in the resurrected Southtown.** With the exception of ''KOF '99'', Kyo (with or without the rest of the Japan Team) [[ThemeNaming always had a theme with the word "Esaka" in it]] during ''KOF'''s pre-bankruptcy run. Esaka is a train station in Osaka near the site where SNK's headquarters resided (technical first stop of the Midosuji line that hits all the major stops in the city), and when SNK went bankrupt, they moved out of the building. Thus, Esaka was interchangeable with SNK to their fans. In ''2000'', the swan song of the old SNK, Kyo receives a heartful, emotional ballad known as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgI3q3LL5u8 "Goodbye Esaka."]] They might as well just called it "Goodbye SNK" for all it's worth.*** And to twist the knife further, that theme had been preceded only ''three'' games earlier with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aL8KiPsrvU "Esaka Forever."]] [[HarsherInHindsight Looking back, it's tragically ironic.]]* SceneryPorn - A frequent element in their 2D titles. While biased, it should be said that Kotaku's listing of [[http://kotaku.com/5977912/the-best-animated-backgrounds-of-2d-fighting-games "The Best Animated Backgrounds of 2D Fighting Games"]] exclusively featured SNK's offerings.* SNKBoss - [[FanNickname Known amongst fighting games fans as]] "SNK Boss Syndrome." [[TropeNamers And for]] [[TropeCodifier a good reason]].----